


I've seen ads for De Beers, that's it; so don't expect intricacies

by lmeden



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-23
Updated: 2011-02-23
Packaged: 2017-10-15 21:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/165085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmeden/pseuds/lmeden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a moment between De-Beers!Cobb and blood-diamond-smuggler!Arthur. (in which Cobb is torn between attraction and moral compassing. and Arthur couldn't give two shits if he tried.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've seen ads for De Beers, that's it; so don't expect intricacies

**Author's Note:**

> for hesselives on Valentine's Day

There are several diamonds spilled across the dark velvet pad on Dom’s desk, none bigger than a pea. They are the color of dirt and are rough-edged. Dam watches them, broodingly, hands clasped over his chest. The corner of one glints, scraped clean and tested for quality.

They are fine diamonds, very fine. Clear throughout, no fissures, of solid color and density. At a glance, Dom is very pleased. Except for one thing. One of the diamonds is stained dark brown, by a substance that flakes partially off to the touch. He knows it – blood.

The supplier of the diamonds, Arthur, sits across the desk – a young man, neatly dressed, watching Dom. As Dom frowns at him, he raises his eyebrows.

“Tell me again where you _found_ these diamonds.”

Arthur hums as if he hasn’t been paying attention. He leans forward over Dom’s desk, flicking at one of the diamonds. Dom catches it as it tumbles across the edge of his desk. The nerve of the boy.

“In…” a long pause “the ground.”

Dom laughs suddenly, and leans forward until he is only inches away from Arthur. “Tell me where you found the diamonds, so that I can in turn explain _the blood_ on them, without creating an international incident.” He pulls a gun from his desk drawer and leans the butt of it on the desk, aimed straight at Arthur. “Please.”

Dom doesn’t like to use force like this – he usually has such good relationships with his suppliers. But this boy is new, obviously very morally flexible, and probably half-crazy. He hadn’t even taken a moment to scrape the blood from the diamond he’d killed for, for god’s sake. Just waltzed in, right through customs and De Beers’ security (in a toss up as to which has a more rigorous screening process, Dom is willing to bet very heavily on his employer) without a blink.

Just now Arthur’s dark eyes trail slowly to the side, over to Dom’s gun. He leans back. Dom smiles at him and stands, gaze intent. He lifts the gun and walks around the desk, looking Arthur up and down before leaning back against the wood top. He is so young. The clothes make him seem older, more sophisticated, but if he’s reached twenty, Dom will eat his nonexistent hat.

And there, by his hips, is a slight bulge in the slim line of his jacket. Dom suddenly looks back into Arthur’s face, angry.

“Now, I know that you’re new to this job. We all were once.” His smile this time is dry and thin. “But you need to know the ground rules. One: you are never to bring _bloody_ diamonds to me again. Always bring in a clean product in all ways, for my safety, not yours. And two: from this moment on, you deal only with me. I am your _sole dealer_. You work with me now, Arthur.” He leans forward and presses the muzzle of the gun under Arthur’s chin, lifting his face up to the light from the window. “Capisce?”

Dom reaches a hand under Arthur’s jacket, feeling at the waistband of his pants. He grabs the thin plastic bag tucked there and pulls it out. Small, dirty rocks glint. Dom throws the second bag of diamonds – diamonds that Arthur would have tried to sell to someone else.

Dom stands again, pulling the gun back and slipping it under his belt. He watches Arthur’s hands shake slightly in his lap, the breathing that he almost controls, but not quite. Dom walks back around his desk and settles into the chair. He scoops the diamonds into a single bag and places it into his desk drawer. He taps his keyboard and the monitor springs to life. He glances back across his desk and raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“Still here? If you need anything else – coffee, tea, a copy of company regulations – just see my secretary.”

He pauses and watches Arthur blink before reaching out. He hits the page on his desk phone and calls,

“Ariadne.”


End file.
